F150 Ecoboost towing 2500RL? Or is 3/4 ton better?

[LifeOfLuxury]

I believe that all 3500's are lower consistently across all manufactures. The reasoning is lower center of gravity. Your mega cab actually might actually be closer to a 2500 then a 3500 as frame is same as a 2500.

[Boogiejack75]

Ford folks, please correct me if I'm wrong. Aren't the F250s taller than the F350s? I personally wouldn't like anything taller than my 3500 or my in-laws F350. So if true, I agree with JerryR. Go F350 and never look back.

My 2019 F250 would not fit in my garage (vertical foul). My 2020 F350 DRW does. 250 had 20" tires. 350 has 17". Maybe that is the difference?? I believe the SRW 350's may have the 20's.

[Ranchertx]

I never said it didn't. But you can't get the 3.5 EB in an F250/350. In fact I would bet the moon that if towing a 2500RL that the 3.5 would out pull a SD 7.3 all day. But pulling's not the same as handling and stopping.

Makes you wonder why Ford doesn’t offer it. I wonder why Ford doesn’t build an Ecoboost on a 5.0 V8 platform

[Malco1]

My 2019 F250 would not fit in my garage (vertical foul). My 2020 F350 DRW does. 250 had 20" tires. 350 has 17". Maybe that is the difference?? I believe the SRW 350's may have the 20's.

I believe that the 2020 250s and 350s are lower than the 2019. They were lowered to better match the new fivers. I never had my 2019 in the garage, except the rear backed in to hoist my hitch in and out. Now I keep my 2020 in the garage when not in use. If you look at my signature you will know why. I have a standard height garage door and my F250 fits in fine. The f250 and F350 SRW are identical except for heaver springs in the 350.I just took a look at my signature and I guess I took that part out. It said 2019 F-250 totaled by squirrels.

[TimtheToolMan]

Does F150 with HDPP come with stiffer front springs and stiffer shocks all around than non HDPP F150?

From F150forum 2018:
Front coil: stiffer than any non-HDPP truck[/B] but the same front axle rating (3800 pounds) due to some other limitation
Rear leaves: 3+1 spring pack rated at 4800 pounds instead of the 2+1 for all other weigh ratings (4050 [2018 MaxTow], 3800 [most 3.5EB/5.0 trucks], 3300 [most 2.7 trucks])
Rear axle: 9.75HD axle (9.75B on axle sticker) rated at 4800 pounds and with the electronic locking 3.73 gears. The 9.75 on most 3.5EB (including Max tow) is a lighter duty variant and the 8.8 on many non 3.5EB trucks is lighter yet.
Shocks: Heavier duty shocks than any non-HDPP F150

The reason I asked, is that I was wondering if the F150 HDPP might be a bit more stable than other F150. I should have done a search before posting question.

[more tired since retired]

I went from a HDPP 2019 F-150 with 5.0L, 3.55 rear end and E rated tires to a 2020 F250 6.7L diesel, 3.55 rear end with the 1080#GVWR. We tow an Imagine 2600LB at 8000lb. The 150 pulled fine until we hit the mountains. Then it was working, pulled but speed and mileage fell through the floor. I've driven big rigs and the 150 just wasn't comfortable towing, especially with anything over light winds (especially head winds). Mileage on several 7K mile trips averaged 8.5mpg at 62 mph. And braking could be a bit scary when someone decided to pull in front of you.

With the F-250, the ride is comfortable, braking is great. We really haven't had issues with wind (once was driving cross country and found out there was a 40mph blowing at a 45 degree angle when we stopped for fuel). The truck has plenty of power and no trouble merging even with the trailer loaded and 2000lb payload in the truck. Payload is more than double the 150. The last long trip (6500 miles) had a fuel average of 13.7mpg at 68 mph. That included climbing out of Denver and through the Eisenhower Tunnel plus I 90 with a steep 3000 ft plus climb at the MT/ID line. Set the cruise to 60 mph (speed limit) and stayed there to the top. Activated the engine brake for 45 mph going down and never needed to touch the brakes.

One thing to consider is engine braking. Our diesel is great at holding our speed to where it's set on steep downhills. Gas engines don't have that ability. And if you go with the 7.3L naturally aspirated engine, remember you lose roughly 10% of your power for every 1000 ft increase in altitude. Tow a heavy trailer and you will notice that missing power. It really does make a difference if towing in mountains.

And lastly, I have been offered more than $12,000 than sticker for this truck in the last 6 months. It is a Lariat Ultimate, 6.7L RWD with standard 6'9" box and 26K on the odometer. If I were take up that offer, I would pocket over $20K what I paid for the truck. The gentleman who made the offer said with the money (direct transfer to my bank), I could buy another truck. I had to answer if I could buy another truck, why offer me $12K over sticker? He said nothing available. I declined as we were 3k miles from home having to take our trailer back. When we got home, I spoke to my dealer about replacement of our truck and was told 8-14 months. And that's why I won't sell the truck. With today's crazy prices and long waits, this truck will still be pulling for many years.

[RV Sailor]

We pull our 2500RL with a Ram 2500.
You make the decision we had too. Do you want to live on the upper limit edge of payload capacity or do you want it to fit comfortably in the mid range a 2500 does.

Yes the 1500 or Tundra can pull our 8000 lb trailer loaded but the heavier springs (Ram) or added leafs in the rear of a 2500 series make a huge difference in overall steerage and no tail wagging the dog.


No one who has ever gone from a 1500 to a 2500 ever decides to go back to a 1500. In fact universally the comment is … should have done it sooner. If you can get the 4.3 vs 3.7 rear go for it.

[Corky2]

No one who has ever gone from a 1500 to a 2500 ever decides to go back to a 1500. In fact universally the comment is … should have done it sooner. If you can get the 4.3 vs 3.7 rear go for it.

I started with a 2003 ram 2500 hemi to pull a small cabin cruiser (~7000# dry) and downsized to a 2021 Ram 1500 hemi. The new 1500 ram has much better towing capability than the 2003 1500 which gives me more than enough towing capability.

[RV Sailor]

I started with a 2003 ram 2500 hemi to pull a small cabin cruiser (~7000# dry) and downsized to a 2021 Ram 1500 hemi. The new 1500 ram has much better towing capability than the 2003 1500 which gives me more than enough towing capability.

Course in every scenario there is a one off like you. Do you pull that 7000 lb cabin cruiser up and down the mountains or across 4-5 states?

Yes of course a 1500 series will have the towing capacity, but like I previously stated do you want to live at the top end or over it’s payload capacity or stay in the mid range a 2500 offers.

Most who have pulled at their upper 1500 limits after the upgrade to 2500 comment on how much more CONTROL they have with the 2500. Control is also safety .

[Boots1950]

We just bought a 2500RL 30' 7500 GVWR Trailer. New to RV'ing. No truck yet. Interested in going cross country to visit all the national parks. Looking for folks suggestions on good truck. What do you all use for this trailer?

The F150 with 3.5L V6 Ecoboost, supercrewcab 6.5 bed, max payload and max tow package is one option we are looking at. It meets the payload and towing capacity requirement. However we are wondering if it will have any issues with climbs and descents in mountains, like Utah and Arizona? We are also looking at F250 with 6.2LV8 with same cab and bed size. Is this better? We don't really want to buy more truck than we need.

Many thanks for your thoughts.

My brother-in-law had a 1/2 ton truck pulling a Imagine 2500RL he did okay with it. He only needed to have the transmission replaced because he over heated it pulling a mountain. He now has a 3/4 ton.